Valtira.
As the days dragged by, I hadn’t fully processed how close the mating ceremony truly was. Time had slipped through my fingers in quiet, treacherous ways, and suddenly the future was standing right in front of me, dressed in ritual and expectation.
Somewhere deep inside, it felt like I was doing something wrong. Like fate itself was holding its breath, waiting for me to misstep. I wanted this to go well. I needed it to. Yet no matter how hard I tried to focus forward, my thoughts betrayed me and wandered back to the one person I shouldn’t have been thinking about.
Zarek.
I was certain he’d heard the news by now. There was no way word of a mating ceremony involving me wouldn’t reach him. And knowing Zarek, there was no chance he would take it lightly. Sitting still had never bee
